BAD NEWS?

[Art Caruso]

Received the following from"Messenger Service. Message
fromMIVCROSOFT NETWORKS to AOL USERS on 12/13/2003
4:22pm Microsoft Security Bulletin MS)#_)$# Buffer
Overrun in Messinger Service Could Allow Code Execution
(828035) Affect Software: Microsoft Windows NT
Workstation Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Microsoft
Windows 2000 Microsoft Windows XP Microsoft Windows
Win98 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Non Affect
Software Microsoft Windows Millennium Editioin Your
System is affected, download the patch from the address
below! FIRST TYPE THE URL BELOW INTO YOUR INTERNET
BROWSER, THEN CLICK "OK" www.windows-patch.com Is
this for real? How do I know when it is? HELP!!

 

[Brian W]

Are you an AOL user?

No one respectable would send a message like this by any means. It is IMHO
most likely someone exploiting Messenger service, which is not to be
confused with Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger.

Ignore this message and get yourselfe a hardware firewall.


Brian W

 

[Jonathan Kay [MVP]]

Greetings Art,

What you're seeing is the Messenger service built-in to Windows, *not* Windows Messenger
(which are two different things) which spammers are exploiting -- this is not Microsoft, nor
can Microsoft control them anymore then they can control spam to your e-mail inbox.

To get rid of these pop ups, you'll need to disable the "Messenger Service", click Start,
then Run, enter "services.msc"and click OK. Scroll down to "Messenger", select it,
right-click and then choose Properties. Under startup type, choose 'Disabled' and then
choose the 'Stop' button. After the service is stopped, click OK. Nothing in Windows or any
real third-party applications should be effected by this.

Just as a little reminder, make sure you've protected yourself against the latest security
issues by visiting WindowsUpdate and installing the security patches:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com
(This isn't related to the Messenger Service in any way, just a reminder)
____________________________________________
Jonathan Kay
Microsoft MVP - Windows Messenger/MSN Messenger
Associate Expert
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
Messenger Resources - http://messenger.jonathankay.com